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Loom Network, a blockchain-based platform designed with large-scale social apps and games in mind, launched a new bounties and rewards program.
In the announcement published on Sept. 24, Loom said that it kicked off a new campaign to recruit decentralized applications (DApps) developers, which involves several large bonuses of Loom tokens to grow the ecosystem. Co-founder of Loom Matthew Campbell said:
“In order to help grow our ecosystem, we want to continue rewarding our existing stakers, validators, and current and future dapp developers with LOOM tokens for doing various tasks. Loom Network has the largest lead in blockchain scalability, but instead of continuing at a steady pace, we are shifting into an even higher gear. We want to accelerate hard over the next year and beyond to increase this lead.”
The bounties and rewards program sets out to give away millions of Loom tokens during the month of October. The developers of the first 10 DApps that get deployed on Loom Basechain and listed on DappRadar will receive a bonus of 500,000 Loom tokens each, which is worth around $17,500.
On top of this, any developer who can successfully launch a functional block explorer can earn an extra bonus of 2,000,000 Loom tokens, worth around $70K at press time.
Crypto rewards projects
As reported earlier this year, Bitcoin (BTC) rewards shopping app Lolli joined forces with major American grocery chain Safeway and pet retailer Petco to give its clients 3.5% back in BTC on all their purchases. Meanwhile, American Express is taking a look at its Hyperledger-based rewards platform, which enables partner merchants to create customized rewards offers for the financial corporation’s clients.


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Payments platform Trustly has acquired HMRC’s open banking provider Ecospend to expand its presence in the UK.
Swedish fintech Trustly, which enables payments for digital account-to-account transactions, said Ecospend has a strong product and full bank connectivity that will complement and allow Trustly to deliver a product in the UK and further accelerate its UK roll-out.
The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Read more: Plend targets £14m in lending this year
“I am delighted to welcome Ecospend to Trustly,” said Johan Tjärnberg, group chief executive of Trustly.
“This is a perfect strategic fit and I am convinced that it will enable us to deliver a market-leading product in the UK, allowing us to capture opportunities and accelerate our current UK expansion.”
“Together with Trustly we will be able to further accelerate our expansion in the UK and continue to raise the bar for service excellence to our customers,” said Metin Erkman, founder of Ecospend.
“We will continue to leverage our market-leading technology and bank connectivity in the UK and, together with Trustly, broaden our capabilities to stretch across Europe and further markets. We are really excited to join the Trustly family.”

domain: news


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The average shopping basket cost a hefty 2.8% more in January than the month before, the biggest monthly increase for two years, and a worrying sign for retailers enduring an anaemic economic recovery. Year-on-year food inflation also jumped sharply, up from 1.6% the lowest value in two years to 2.6%, marking an end to near-zero inflation in late 2009.
The rise suggests that when the UK's official inflation figures are published in mid-February, Bank of England Governor Mervyn King will have to write to the Chancellor explaining why inflation is over-target.
Alcoholic drinks showed the sharpest rise last month, jumping 7.5%, hit by the double whammy of VAT increases and the end of Christmas promotions.
Fruit and vegetables was one of few categories to fall in price last month, 2.4% cheaper than before Christmas.


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Automotive News reports that the 2012 Honda CR-V will, in fact, launch on schedule. Honda has reportedly told its dealers that the crossover will arrive on time despite initial concerns about the impact of Thai floods on the vehicle's production. Honda had originally cautioned that the vehicle may be delayed by several weeks due to a shortage of components produced in Thailand. That crisis has apparently been avoided.
2012 Honda CR-V Concept
- Zach Bowman
- Nov 9, 2011
- Jeff Glucker
- Sep 22, 2011
Proving it's more than just a haven for flat-billed tattoo enthusiasts and Disney-branded tourists, Orange County is hosting the global debut of the 2012 Honda CR-V concept. The slick-looking crossover gets a serious style upgrade, and judging by recent Honda concepts, it's all but certain to be a very thinly disguised version of the production CR-V.
- Biggest automotive sales disappointments
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Consumer experts want to warn people in the Tampa Bay area that scammers are working to get access to your belongings in many different ways.
“If they can get something valuable they’ll try to, and it’s not always property, sometimes it’s personal information,” said Eric Olsen, Manager of Consumer Protection Services for Hillsborough County.
Right now, experts tell us there’s a renewed effort from scammers to try to get in touch with people through text messages and phone calls.
If you get a message, officials say the best thing to do is just delete it. Clicking a link might download malware, infect your phone, or take you to a website that’s a scam.
“Receiving the messages, if you don’t solicit them, it’s always good to just avoid them,” said Olsen.
Experts say right now scammers are also contacting people trying to verify a social security number, a bank account number, or even just your name and date of birth.
“They have some information, they want to get more information. They use that, they sell that for identity theft,” said Olsen.
Another scam you may also see right now is someone claiming there’s been an issue with shipping.
Officials say most recently, scammers are trying to get in touch with people by leaving notes in front of their houses about their mail. The scammers will claim some items in the mail got lost or that their packages accidentally got delivered to the wrong house.
“Some of these attempts are people trying to get into your house to look to see what you have. They’re trying to get and solicit information from you that they could use for identity theft later,” said Olsen.
There have also been scams with online shopping. Olsen says they've seen issues with retailers.
“What’s going on, what we’re seeing is evidence that retailers failed to comply more in 2020 than they did in years prior. There were hundreds of thousands of complaints filed and many losses to consumers,” he said.
Experts stress people should look at everything with a critical eye.
“Being aware that there are scammers out in the community trying to get access to either your property or your information and how they do it is the big thing to be aware of,” said Olsen.


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After her tennis career, Serena Williams now wants to focus on her family and her venture capital firm. Venture capital firms invest in young and risky companies. Williams has already dealt with these investments during his career.
“It’s something I’ve really developed a passion for and something that has an impact on everyday life,” the legend of tennis describes his passion and motivation for investment on the “essentialsports” website. “I like to invest and I started after attending a seminar. A conference said that only 2 percent of venture capital goes to women, and neither people of color.
Too few women, too few people of color
After researching this statement, Williams co-founded Serena Ventures with Alison Stillman. A venture capital firm is an unusual industry, because in a male-dominated field, women are in the minority. William’s company management is mostly female. He does not want to include investors, but Williams has preferences:
“When you hire women and people of color, you tend to choose more diversity, which helps me say, okay. I shouldn’t just give my money to men, I should diversify it.”
Investments in around 60 companies so far
According to the tennis legend, 87 percent of the record consists of companies founded by women or people of color. There are strict rules when it comes to investing. “We don’t invest in fintechs or defense companies, consumer goods or technology. We want to make sure it has a positive impact on everyday life with ordinary people.”
Since founding in 2014, Serena Ventures has invested in more than 60 companies. The most well-known supported start-up is Clubhouse, otherwise the money is invested in sectors such as nutrition, education, fitness and the crypto economy.


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BENGALURU (Reuters) – India’s annual retail inflation eased to 5.30% in August from 5.59% the previous month, government data released on Monday showed.
FILE PHOTO: A vendor waits for customers at his shop inside a vegetable market in Kolkata, India, February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
Analysts in a Reuters poll had predicted annual inflation at 5.60%.
SAKSHI GUPTA, SENIOR ECONOMIST, HDFC BANK, GURUGRAM
“Inflation surprised on the downside in August compared to consensus expectations. The softness was led by lower food inflation, especially in cereals, sugar and vegetable categories. Core inflation also dropped below 6% after remaining elevated for the last few months. Fuel inflation continued to play spoilsport at almost 13% in the month.
“Inflation readings could remain contained for the next 2-3 months, in part supported by a high base, before inching up to 6% from December onwards. For now, the sub-6% print for a second consecutive month is likely to take the pressure off the RBI to normalise liquidity just yet.
“We expect the central bank to start discussing any liquidity rollback only by the beginning of 2022.”
SREEJITH BALASUBRAMANIAN, ECONOMIST – FUND MANAGEMENT, IDFC AMC, MUMBAI
“With the August print of 5.3%, CPI (consumer price index)inflation has moved further down from its peak of 6.3% in May and June, aided by softer prices of food and beverages and base effects. Core inflation remains elevated at 5.8% y/y in August and an average of 5.9% FYTD (financial year to date), but signs of a sustainable demand recovery apart from supply-side factors continue to remain important.
“The extent of manifestation of sequentially softer cereal and vegetable prices (based on available real-time data so far in September) in official CPI, sectoral supply adjustments, commodity prices, services inflation, etc. will be crucial ahead.”
SUVODEEP RAKSHIT, SENIOR ECONOMIST, KOTAK INSTITUTIONAL EQUITIES, MUMBAI
“CPI inflation at 5.3% in August is in line with expectations and should be seen positively by the RBI (Reserve Bank of India). Core inflation has also softened from last month.
“We expect the RBI MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) to remain focused on growth as inflationary concerns remain under check.”
UPASNA BHARDWAJ, SENIOR ECONOMIST, KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK, MUMBAI
“The headline inflation came in softer than our expectations largely led by downward surprise of food prices. We expect the subsequent readings to remain fairly benign and much lower than RBI’s estimates.
“The softer inflation would provide relief to the policy makers and more room to move much slowly in terms of policy normalisation. We continue to expect only tweaks to liquidity tools to manage temporary liquidity surplus in the near term.”
Reporting by Rama Venkat, Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi


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On Sunday, 29 November 2020, Veiling Rhein-Maas turned 10 years old. At the end of 2010, Veiling Rhein-Maas was founded as a joint venture between the German company Landgard and the Dutch company Royal FloraHolland. Unfortunately, we cannot celebrate our 10th anniversary with our partners in the way we wish under the current circumstances. Nonetheless, we will celebrate in a small scale.
They have prepared a few surprises on site in Straelen-Herongen during this anniversary week, for example a large `10´ with the beautiful products of their suppliers in the foyer of the auction. "In addition, for the rest of the week, we are presenting great workpieces from some of our customers on the theme of `celebration´. On Wednesday, 2 December 2020, Günther Esser and Cees Hoekstra, Managing Directors of Veiling Rhein-Maas, gave a short speech at 05:50 am in the auction room. We are proud of the last 10 years during which we have worked successfully and trustfully with our partners, thank you very much! We are already looking forward to the next successful decade."


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Not so long ago, clients interested in virtue-signaling their solidarity with green causes would simply ask their interior designer to work in a few “eco-conscious” touches. The resulting rooms often turned out looking rather like the inside of a sauna with a few hemp pillows sourced from, say, a collective in Guatemala. It was, perhaps, mostly cosmetic, but everyone’s consciences were assuaged.
But something has changed over the last 18 months, as many homeowners around the world have seen their homes threatened—or worse—by flooding, extreme weather, and wildfires, notes Los Angeles–based AD100 designer Brigette Romanek.
“You’d have to live under a rock to not feel the effects of climate change,” says Romanek, whose celebrity clients include ballerina Misty Copeland. “We are at a critical moment. We have to all get involved and play a part.”
Critical, indeed. According to a recent United Nations report, all industries must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent from 2010 levels in the next 10 years to prevent worst-case scenarios. This requires “rapid and far-reaching transitions in…infrastructure (including transport and buildings).”
The shift to carbon-neutral behavior and products is a goal so large—with a deadline so tight—that suddenly designers and clients have begun questioning every item in home decor: “How much carbon was released during the manufacturing and shipping of this product? Can we choose better?”
The answer is an unequivocal yes, says designer (and original Queer Eye cast-member) Thom Filicia, who helped jump-start the conversation 11 years ago by creating an über-green model interior in a luxe, Battery Park City tower.
“My goal was to explain to people that you can be thoughtful and yet still have the ability to express your personality and aesthetic,” says Filicia, who filled the space with natural-fiber fabrics, low-VOC paints, recycled zinc panels, and wood certified by the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC). He says it’s even easier to source more carbon-neutral products today, while avoiding a look of “oatmeal fabric on unfinished wood.”
“The fact is you can find eco features in any style at any price point,” says SFC executive director Susan Inglis. “This keeps me from getting discouraged. It really is a messaging challenge more than anything: Y’all stop choosing the poison, please!” When the SFC recently surveyed consumers, it found that 92 percent would choose “environmentally safe” (defined as “good for the environment") furnishings if style and cost considerations were comparable, and 76 percent were even willing to pay more.


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The most engaging type of content your visitors want more of in 2016
HubSpot research has given us loads of insight into the marketing trends of 2016, and because we’re dead nice, we’re sharing that knowledge with you.
2016 has brought a lot of disheartening rubbish with it. I mean, I’m still not over Prince, or Bowie. And don’t even get me started on this guy. But at least it’s also brought with it a positive new phase of technological development, where new innovations and preferences will affect how marketers do their thing.
HubSpot surveyed over 1,000 internet users worldwide to learn about their preferences and behaviours regarding their content consumption habits. This should help you work out the most effective and engaging content for your audience.
So, what kinds of content are users expecting more of in the future?
Apparently, more and more people are drawn to visual content, and they’re also choosing social media platforms over traditional blog and long-form outlets as a way to read their content.
Here’s the top forms of content this year according to HubSpot’s research:
Social Media – 45%
News Articles – 44%
Videos – 43%
Online Classes/Educational Games – 33%
Research Content – 31%
The above suggests not that marketers should abandon blogging or podcasting, but that they should develop a more diverse strategy for their content creation to meet the growing demand for content from videos and social media.
How are readers consuming content?
It seems that longer written content is more likely to be skim-read, and content with more visual elements like videos and images are more likely to retain attention.
The most wanted? Video content.
It seems video is increasingly becoming the most popular of all content, and this makes total sense; think about the unmissable rise of video storming your newsfeed. In fact, Cisco says that a staggering 80% of web traffic will be from video by 2019. This is reflected in HubSpot’s research, which shows that 45% of survey respondents admitted to watching at least one hour of video on Facebook and Youtube a week. I know I probably watch more than that myself!
What’s more, a lot of these videos can be watched without sound due to the autoplay fuction Facebook has implemented onto our timelines. According to Digiday, 85% of viewership now happens in total silence. Take Buzzfeed’s Tasty, for example; they create “snack-sized videos and recipes you’ll want to try”:
Chances are you’ve seen one of these videos pop up on your newsfeed and started salivating. The one above alone has 252,320 views so far. They work so well because they’re short and sweet (pun intended), they don’t need sound to understand what’s happening, and they teach how-to skills, which, according to Google, is the kind of video content that’s risen by 70% year over year.
Other kinds of popular video content
People spend 3 times more time watching Facebook Live videos compared to other videos. This is because they give real-time insight into the world at any moment, allowing businesses to gain more interest and engagement from their followers. Discover and Snapchat are also big users of this type of live streaming content, but it’s Snapchat’s Live Stories that are really killing it, with 10 to 20 million viewers per day.
GIFs are being used everywhere by brands and regular folk alike on social media and email marketing. They’re especially popular when used as reactions.
They’re great for businesses mostly because they’re short, cheap, visually engaging, and more often than not they’re pretty funny too, which adds a relatable, more human element. But best of all, they’ve now also infiltrated political campaigns — check this one out:
Donald Trump just did every emoji face on your phone in 7 seconds. #GOPDebate https://t.co/jkTnY0xBp8 — Tim Williams (@realtimwilliams) September 17, 2015
Snapchat currently counts 10 billion views daily from users who catch up with the latest ephemeral content, which is what really makes it special. The 24 hour-long snaps have created a sense of urgency, making users compelled to check the app daily for fear of missing out.
Loads of brands have already started using Snapchat for their business, and it’s said that the unique mobile-focused vertical video creates a more engaging experience alone.
Landing page videos
Some brands even use video on their landing pages. For example, ASOS has a video catwalk feature which shows a more complete view of the product, and that helps to build more confidence when buying. Apparently, using video on landing pages can increase conversions by 80%. There’s several reasons for this:
Videos increase the length of time people stay on your page, giving you more time to make an impression on the viewer.
It helps you become more trustworthy.
People are lazy and prefer to watch something rather than read.
And let’s not forget Youtube of course, which has over a billion users — that’s almost a third of internet users! Not to mention the 3.25 billion hours of video watched each month. In fact, it’s expected that by 2025 half of viewers under 32 won’t subscribe to a paid TV service.
So if you’re someone who’s trying to work out if video marketing is really worth investing in, you should hopefully have your answer by now. The reach and engagement that’s possible with this kind of content is really astonishing. Now, start creating those videos!


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Management of the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices factory in the Central Region says the factory is making strides, as it has gone through regulations and will soon begin exporting its products to Europe and America.
This was disclosed by the Director of Operations at the factory, Fredrick Kobbyna Acquaah in an interview with Citi News after an inspection tour of the factory.
He however expressed worry about what he said was the negative media publicity the factory had received.
He said the negative media reportage is tarnishing the image of the factory both locally and internationally.
According to him, there have been instances where some persons have had to criticize the factory without proper checks.
Despite the setback, Fredrick Kobbyna Acquaah said the factory currently cultivates over 3000 acres of pineapple and produces ten tons of juice on a daily basis.
“As for challenges, we don’t want to glorify them, but like any entity, we are bent on coming out of such challenges. Such challenges will not stop us from growing as an entity. We are bent on putting Ghana and Ekumfi on the world stage with this product,” the Director of Operations at the factory said.
Mr. Acquaah noted that they have tested the international market and have been certified to begin operations.
He noted that they will keep an eye on the local market as people have criticized them for the non-visibility of their products on the market.
“This year, we will begin exporting our products to Europe and America. But that is not to say we won’t keep an eye on the local market, because we need to be strong locally,” Mr. Acquah said.
The management of the factory is optimistic that moving the factory onto the international market will enlarge its capacity in terms of production while employing more hands, which will, in the end, translate into employment for the locals within Ekumfi.
“Two to three more variants will be developed aside from the five already existing variants the company is producing to give consumers more options,” Mr. Acquaah noted.
The factory is also mentoring the Central Citrus Processing Limited located in the Abura Asebu Kwamakese District, which is yet to begin operations where the pulp of the citrus fruit will be used in making varieties of fruit juice.
The Central Citrus Processing will be engaged in the production of citrus oil and, along the line, engage in the production of citrus juice.
This comes as exciting news to people living in that area since it will produce over 15 tons of orange fruit juice per hour.
The citing of the factory in that area will draw the youth who are already involved in mechanised crop management services.
The citrus factory in that area, according to Fredrick Kobbyna Acquaah, will bring employment to people.


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After decades, the DRM solution on the Sega Saturn has finally been bypassed without a need for mod chips. The move should boost the console’s homebrew community, given that the CD-ROM drives inside the system are now more than 20 years old.
When you buy games on Steam, you’re locking yourself into that platform, and you have to abide by Valve’s restrictions. Thankfully, the folks at GOG.com have put together a clever solution that allows developers to offer DRM-free versions of their games for free to existing Steam users.
Philips is introducing DRM into its Hue smart lighting system, claiming that this will protect consumers from third-party products. The company’s customers, needless to say, see the situation differently — especially since Philips has previously touted interoperability as a selling point of the system.
Steam may be the 800 lb gorilla in PC digital distribution, but that doesn’t mean no one else is innovating. GOG Galaxy will now give gamers the option to uninstall patches if they break content or harm the game.


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Amex Board Picks Golub as Chief Executive, Robinson to Remain as Chairman
NEW YORK (AP) _ Ending weeks of turmoil, struggling American Express Co. said Monday that James D. Robinson III would remain indefinitely as chairman while relinquishing day-to-day management after 15 years atop the financial services conglomerate.
American Express promoted Harvey Golub to chief executive, succeeding Robinson in that post, in an apparent compromise by a board divided over appointing the blunt-spoken Golub to lead a company with an image crafted largely on status.
The company also said Robinson would take over its Shearson Lehman Brothers unit with a likely goal of spinning off the brokerage as a separate publicly held company.
In perhaps the day’s most surprising move, Howard L. Clark Jr., Shearson’s former chairman and chief executive, was demoted to vice chairman of the brokerage. Clark’s father is a former American Express chairman who opposed Golub’s ascension.
The company did not specify how long Robinson, 57, would remain as American Express chairman or what plans it would draft to replace him.
Golub, 53, will continue as chairman and chief executive of American Express’ flagship Travel Related Services unit, which he has revived since being promoted by Robinson 17 months ago. His appointment as chief executive of American Express is effective Feb. 1.
Reflecting its troubles, American Express announced meager earnings of $82 million, or 15 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, a 65 percent drop from a year earlier. For the full year, it made $461 million, or 88 cents per share, a 42 percent decline.
The 19-member board, long viewed as loyal to Robinson, had been split over whether to promote his hand-picked choice or pick an outsider. Instead, it adopted a position that temporarily resolves the leadership question and quells the concerns of Wall Street analysts who had favored Golub.
Critically, it keeps Golub at the helm of Travel Related Services - which includes the familiar green, gold and platinum cards, and the travelers check business - as it seeks to recover amid increasing competition and a string of problems.
″Better to have a less dramatic outcome than one that would really upset the company and undo some of the very constructive changes that they have put in place,″ said John Keefe, an independent brokerage industry consultant.
But the stock market - which last month hailed the announcement that Robinson was retiring - reacted unfavorably to news he would stay. American Express closed down 50 cents at $25.12 1/2 on the New York Stock Exchange. It had been up $1 before the announcement.
″Harvey Golub was the unanimous and enthusiastic choice, individually and collectively, of our search committee and the full board,″ Richard Furlaud, a former Bristol-Meyers-Squibb Co. president who was on the five-member search panel, said in a statement.
″We believe that Harvey combines outstanding leadership skills, a long record of achievement, understanding of the company’s strategic needs and ability to execute a vision for the business,″ he said.
But failing to appoint Golub to both positions keeps alive questions about his suitability for the top job. The appointment amounts to less than a full endorsement, leaving open the possibility he could be promoted when Robinson finally does retire.
The succession controversy began last month when it was disclosed that Robinson had told the board in September he planned to retire before age 60 and the board asked him to begin an immediate search.
Robinson pushed Golub, but encountered opposition among several board members, who felt him unfit for the job despite his record at Travel Related Services and as head of the company’s IDS Financial Services unit from 1984 until July 1991. The announcement came as American Express tries to recover from a rash of problems - weak earnings, restructurings at TRS and Shearson Lehman, increased competition in the card business, credit losses at its Optima credit card, anger among card merchants and a confused advertising strategy.
Golub has shaken up management and begun turning around TRS, which took a $342 million restructuring charge in the third quarter to pay for 4,800 job cuts. Operating earnings rose at TRS for 1992.
Golub initiated a $1 billion cost-cutting campaign at TRS. He also cut fees for some American Express card merchants, allowed the card to be used at Kmart stores, and lowered interest rates for good Optima customers.
Robinson views Shearson as unfinished business. He will move his main office to a Shearson floor in American Express’ lower Manhattan tower, and his priority - considered inevitable since American Express spent close to $1 billion in 1990 to restructure the firm - will be to make it fit enough to stand alone.
Golub cuts a different figure than the Atlanta-bred socialite Robinson. Burly and chain-smoking, the Brooklyn-born Golub flunked out of Cornell before completing a degree at New York University.
He joined American Express in 1983 from the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. In 1984, he was made chairman of Minneapolis-based IDS Financial Services, which became one of American Express’ best performing units.
But in modest Minnesota, Golub was criticized for building a 15,000-square- foot house with a full-sized movie screen and a four-car garage with car wash. The excess also raised eyebrows among some American Express executives in New York.
Also, IDS was sued in 1989 by 32 employees for age discrimination. A lawyer blamed Golub personally for firing older managers in favor of younger ones. American Express denied discrimination but settled the case for $35 million.
In 1990, Robinson made Golub an American Express vice chairman. In July 1991, he was promoted to president reporting directly to Robinson. Three months later, Golub was named chairman and chief executive of TRS.


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UPDATE 1-Stryker names Dentsply executive as chief financial officer
April 8 (Reuters) - Medical products maker Stryker Corp on Monday named William Jellison as chief financial officer, replacing Dean Bergy, who was interim CFO.
The appointment is effective April 22.
Jellison had been with Dentsply International Inc, a dental equipment maker, for 15 years. He most recently was chief financial officer.
Before joining Dentsply, Jellison spent 18 years with Donnelly Corp, an automotive parts supplier.
In October, Stryker, a manufacturer of orthopedic implants, hospital beds and surgical equipment, named Kevin Lobo as chief executive officer.
- Children's corpses reveal desperate attempts to escape Korean ferry |
- Russia says it will respond if Ukraine interests attacked |
- 'Bridgegate' scandal threatens next World Trade Center tower
- Obama seeks to ease Asian allies' doubts during visit to Japan |
- NYPD Twitter campaign backfires, thousands of negative tweets


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|By Kevin Benedict||
|June 26, 2014 07:00 AM EDT||
Also read Connected Globe News Weekly
Also read Field Mobility News Weekly
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South Africa’s wireless application service providers market is expected to grow from $282.3 million in 2013 to $656.9 million in 2018. This is according to a Frost & Sullivan study regarding the role of WASPs in enterprise communication in South Africa. Read Original Content
Xiaomi, often called the “Apple” of China, has launched its official website in India, paving the way for its entry into the fiercely competitive Indian smartphone market in the next few weeks. Read Original Content
According to a new market report from Transparency Market Research, the global mobile robotics market was worth 6,249.6 million in 2012 and is expected to reach 14,202.2 million by 2019, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 12.6 percent from 2013 to 2019. Read Original Content
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"We provide a web application framework for building really sophisticated web applications that run on a browser without any installation need so we get used for biotech, defense, and banking applications," noted Charles Kendrick, CTO and Chief Architect at Isomorphic Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @DevOpsSummit (http://DevOpsSummit.SYS-CON.com), held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York
Jul. 1, 2015 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 948
Discussions about cloud computing are evolving into discussions about enterprise IT in general. As enterprises increasingly migrate toward their own unique clouds, new issues such as the use of containers and microservices emerge to keep things interesting. In this Power Panel at 16th Cloud Expo, moderated by Conference Chair Roger Strukhoff, panelists addressed the state of cloud computing today, and what enterprise IT professionals need to know about how the latest topics and trends affect t...
Jul. 1, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,136
Explosive growth in connected devices. Enormous amounts of data for collection and analysis. Critical use of data for split-second decision making and actionable information. All three are factors in making the Internet of Things a reality. Yet, any one factor would have an IT organization pondering its infrastructure strategy. How should your organization enhance its IT framework to enable an Internet of Things implementation? In his session at @ThingsExpo, James Kirkland, Red Hat's Chief Arch...
Jul. 1, 2015 02:21 PM EDT Reads: 261
In the midst of the widespread popularity and adoption of cloud computing, it seems like everything is being offered “as a Service” these days: Infrastructure? Check. Platform? You bet. Software? Absolutely. Toaster? It’s only a matter of time. With service providers positioning vastly differing offerings under a generic “cloud” umbrella, it’s all too easy to get confused about what’s actually being offered. In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Kevin Hazard, Director of Digital Content for SoftL...
Jul. 1, 2015 01:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,132
"A lot of the enterprises that have been using our systems for many years are reaching out to the cloud - the public cloud, the private cloud and hybrid," stated Reuven Harrison, CTO and Co-Founder of Tufin, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 16th Cloud Expo, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jul. 1, 2015 12:54 PM EDT Reads: 416
One of the hottest areas in cloud right now is DRaaS and related offerings. In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Dale Levesque, Disaster Recovery Product Manager with Windstream's Cloud and Data Center Marketing team, will discuss the benefits of the cloud model, which far outweigh the traditional approach, and how enterprises need to ensure that their needs are properly being met.
Jul. 1, 2015 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,026
The time is ripe for high speed resilient software defined storage solutions with unlimited scalability. ISS has been working with the leading open source projects and developed a commercial high performance solution that is able to grow forever without performance limitations. In his session at Cloud Expo, Alex Gorbachev, President of Intelligent Systems Services Inc., shared foundation principles of Ceph architecture, as well as the design to deliver this storage to traditional SAN storage co...
Jul. 1, 2015 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,975
"Plutora provides release and testing environment capabilities to the enterprise," explained Dalibor Siroky, Director and Co-founder of Plutora, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @DevOpsSummit, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jul. 1, 2015 11:45 AM EDT Reads: 989
SYS-CON Events announced today that JFrog, maker of Artifactory, the popular Binary Repository Manager, will exhibit at SYS-CON's @DevOpsSummit Silicon Valley, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Based in California, Israel and France, founded by longtime field-experts, JFrog, creator of Artifactory and Bintray, has provided the market with the first Binary Repository solution and a software distribution social platform.
Jul. 1, 2015 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 942
It is one thing to build single industrial IoT applications, but what will it take to build the Smart Cities and truly society-changing applications of the future? The technology won’t be the problem, it will be the number of parties that need to work together and be aligned in their motivation to succeed. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jason Mondanaro, Director, Product Management at Metanga, discussed how you can plan to cooperate, partner, and form lasting all-star teams to change the world...
Jul. 1, 2015 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 2,223
In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Simone Brunozzi, VP and Chief Technologist of Cloud Services at VMware, reviewed the changes that the cloud computing industry has gone through over the last five years and shared insights into what the next five will bring. He also chronicled the challenges enterprise companies are facing as they move to the public cloud. He delved into the "Hybrid Cloud" space and explained why every CIO should consider ‘hybrid cloud' as part of their future strategy to achi...
Jul. 1, 2015 11:10 AM EDT Reads: 513
"We got started as search consultants. On the services side of the business we have help organizations save time and save money when they hit issues that everyone more or less hits when their data grows," noted Otis Gospodnetić, Founder of Sematext, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @DevOpsSummit, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jul. 1, 2015 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 929
"We have a tagline - "Power in the API Economy." What that means is everything that is built in applications and connected applications is done through APIs," explained Roberto Medrano, Executive Vice President at Akana, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 16th Cloud Expo, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jul. 1, 2015 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 533
Internet of Things is moving from being a hype to a reality. Experts estimate that internet connected cars will grow to 152 million, while over 100 million internet connected wireless light bulbs and lamps will be operational by 2020. These and many other intriguing statistics highlight the importance of Internet powered devices and how market penetration is going to multiply many times over in the next few years.
Jul. 1, 2015 10:30 AM EDT Reads: 2,110
Internet of Things (IoT) will be a hybrid ecosystem of diverse devices and sensors collaborating with operational and enterprise systems to create the next big application. In their session at @ThingsExpo, Bramh Gupta, founder and CEO of robomq.io, and Fred Yatzeck, principal architect leading product development at robomq.io, discussed how choosing the right middleware and integration strategy from the get-go will enable IoT solution developers to adapt and grow with the industry, while at th...
Jul. 1, 2015 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,918
The most often asked question post-DevOps introduction is: “How do I get started?” There’s plenty of information on why DevOps is valid and important, but many managers still struggle with simple basics for how to initiate a DevOps program in their business. They struggle with issues related to current organizational inertia, the lack of experience on Continuous Integration/Delivery, understanding where DevOps will affect revenue and budget, etc. In their session at DevOps Summit, JP Morgenthal...
Jul. 1, 2015 09:32 AM EDT Reads: 504
Agile, which started in the development organization, has gradually expanded into other areas downstream - namely IT and Operations. Teams – then teams of teams – have streamlined processes, improved feedback loops and driven a much faster pace into IT departments which have had profound effects on the entire organization. In his session at DevOps Summit, Anders Wallgren, Chief Technology Officer of Electric Cloud, will discuss how DevOps and Continuous Delivery have emerged to help connect dev...
Jul. 1, 2015 09:30 AM EDT Reads: 793
Malicious agents are moving faster than the speed of business. Even more worrisome, most companies are relying on legacy approaches to security that are no longer capable of meeting current threats. In the modern cloud, threat diversity is rapidly expanding, necessitating more sophisticated security protocols than those used in the past or in desktop environments. Yet companies are falling for cloud security myths that were truths at one time but have evolved out of existence.
Jul. 1, 2015 09:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,131
Today air travel is a minefield of delays, hassles and customer disappointment. Airlines struggle to revitalize the experience. GE and M2Mi will demonstrate practical examples of how IoT solutions are helping airlines bring back personalization, reduce trip time and improve reliability. In their session at @ThingsExpo, Shyam Varan Nath, Principal Architect with GE, and Dr. Sarah Cooper, M2Mi’s VP Business Development and Engineering, will explore the IoT cloud-based platform technologies drivi...
Jul. 1, 2015 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 861
Containers have changed the mind of IT in DevOps. They enable developers to work with dev, test, stage and production environments identically. Containers provide the right abstraction for microservices and many cloud platforms have integrated them into deployment pipelines. DevOps and Containers together help companies to achieve their business goals faster and more effectively. In his session at DevOps Summit, Ruslan Synytsky, CEO and Co-founder of Jelastic, reviewed the current landscape of...
Jun. 30, 2015 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,145


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‘Overwatch’ character skin raises over P500M for breast cancer research
“Overwatch’s” Pink Mercy character skin raised over $10 million to help fund breast cancer research.
The Pink Mercy, a character skin for “Overwatch’s” beloved and equally loathed healer, was designed by community artist VICKISIGH. It currently stands as the first and so far only paid character skin for the game. Pink Mercy also spearheaded a donation campaign to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
The campaign began on May 8 and ran until May 21. During this period, “Overwatch” players could purchase the limited-edition Pink Mercy skin for $15 (about P800) and the earnings were to go to the BCRF. A special edition Pink Mercy T-shirts were also sold at $30 (around P1,600) each during the campaign period. At the end of the two-week campaign period, the Overwatch community managed to raise $12.7 million (around P678 million) to fund breast cancer research, according to a statement.
Meanwhile, donations from watching 14 different “Overwatch” top players stream on Twitch generated an additional $130,000 (about P6.9 million).
After the campaign, “Overwatch” game director Jeff Kaplan joined BCRF leadership in a check-presentation event to cap off the donation run. /ra
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PRESENTING: Everything you need to know about bitcoin and blockchain in one epic slideshow
Bitcoin is a digital-only currency not backed by any central bank, while the blockchain is the software underpinning it.
Blockchain uses complex cryptography to ensure transactions can't be tampered with and people sending and receiving money are who they say they are.
Jeremy Millar, a partner at technology bank Magister, told Business Insider blockchain is the fastest growing industry he's ever seen. There are a huge number of startups trying to use both bitcoin and blockchain to do a variety of different things.
Banks in particular are excited about the potential savings and benefits blockchain technology could offer them. Thirty top investment banks have joined an industry-wide group looking at potential uses and plenty of banks are experimenting with the technology themselves behind closed doors.
Magister's report is split into four sections - the bitcoin ecosystem, the blockchain ecosystem, and profiles of companies in each sector.
Magister has given BI permission to reproduce its presentation - check it out below.
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Wow, Ford is in good shape, despite that loss
Ford lost $2 billion in the first quarter of 2020—not surprising given the sudden shutdowns of economies around the globe. But Ford is able to weather the storm, including an expected $5 billion loss in the second quarter, and possible losses in the last half of 2020: they had $34 billion in cash, and $35 billion in liquidity, at the end of March 2020. At the same time, Ford is cutting marketing and advertising costs, and trying to defer other costs.
Some believe that Ford will be taking a serious look at the nature of its operations outside North America. Ford is popular in Europe, but Volkswagen absolutely dominates the continent, followed by French automakers. Talk of a merger comes partly because Volkswagen dominates Europe as Ford dominates America’s pickup and commercial-van markets, but the founding Ford family is still a major force; and Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest automakers, with no need to merge when they can slowly make inroads in the U.S. and Canada.
To a large degree, Ford has enviable numbers: the average transaction price of a Ford-branded car is over $43,311, and the average transaction price of a Lincoln is $58,503. Buyers are paying nearly $90,000 for Navigators. The company isn’t selling all that many cars and trucks, but they’re getting premium prices for what they do sell.
Compare Ford with FCA: Ford has two brands in the world, Ford and Lincoln, while FCA has Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, and Ram, all of which need to be fed with product and marketing. Ford focuses on a small number of segments, while Fiat Chrysler relies on niche vehicles, especially for Jeep, and has three brands which are geofenced.
General Motors and FCA will be reporting earnings soon; chances are both will have substantial losses, just like Ford, but do they have the cash and credit to make it through?hello


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15930 Tue, 01/13/2009 - 1:25pm
WASHINGTON–The International Year of Natural Fibers, a program of the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, will debut in Rome on Jan. 22.
The program is geared toward raising public awareness of natural fibers as alternatives to synthetic and petroleum-based textiles, according to a statement from the U.S.-based Hemp Industries Association. It consists of a year-long series of events throughout the world that will promote the support of farmers of natural fibers and industries that use these fibers.
In the statement, the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization said, “The main objective of the International Year of Natural Fibers is to raise the profile of these fibers, to emphasize their value to consumers while helping to sustain the incomes of the farmers. Promoting measures to improve the efficiency and sustainabilty of production is also an important aspect of the year.”


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The estimated number of homeless children in Pennsylvania exceeds 40,000.
The Homeless Education Found, a nonprofit organization focused on the goal of giving homeless children equal educational opportunities, is now being aided by fashion. At the Pittsburgh Playwrites Theatre on the 28th and 29th of January, Model and Talent National’s Project Evolution held the fashion shows and launch parties benefiting the Homeless Children’s Education fund.
“I thought you know, all these people and all the stuff that we do everyday. If we just took that one or two days and made it benefit somebody else, it could be a beautiful thing, “ said Dawn Lily the event creator and coordinator.
After seeing the staggering numbers of homeless children in her community, Lily decided her team needed to help this foundation. Everyone involved including models, artists and retailers volunteered their time and effort to help their community. “I couldn’t do it without all of these people,” said Lily. “This has definitely been a community effort.” Approximately 50 to 100 models walked the catwalk at the event to live performances from local artists of Pittsburgh.
“Homelessness is a really big issue, and I think that it’s an issue that’s not really talked about enough,” said Zachary Marsh office and events manager from the Homeless Children’s Found. Marsh is one of the many people working at the HCF to raise awareness of children whose parent’s have lost their homes. One of their main goals since their establishment in 1999 has been to help the children maintain wellbeing in an academic environment. “It’s touching to hear all the stories and to hear that we are really making a difference in the lives of these children,” said Marsh. The HCF campaigns for these children to be guaranteed the same education as their peers who have homes in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The foundation received around 500 dollars from the Project Evolution fashion show this year. “The biggest benefit is the awareness, said Marsh, “that was more befitting than any of the money.”
The online clothing store Crazyhotclothes.com was one of the retail volunteers for the show. They are selling clothing with a goal to not only help others but to aid the vintage revolution. Vintage clothing is not the easiest thing to wear but they sell pieces that any young woman would wear. After clicking your way through pages of amazing clothing you find the hidden gem of crazyhotclothes.com, the blog. Ways to steal celebrity styles are posted on a constant and the best part is that similar pieces are almost always available for purchase. There is no better way than to use fashion to give back and crazyhotclothes.com agrees.
With the success of the January show there are definitive plans to make it an annual event. Project Evolution is starting to shine a light on fashion and art making a difference and not just in Pennsylvania. “We would definitely be up to doing an event like this again,” said Marsh.
For more information on Project Evolution and the Homeless Education Found, visit www.projectevo.org.


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Say it ain’t so! Winter Park Resort, Colorado has just made the announcement that skiers across the Centennial State have been dreading.
The resort’s last day of the skiing and snowboarding season will be Monday, May 29th, 2023 (Memorial Day). Check out the social media announcement below:
Full Caption:”The time has come: our last day of skiing and riding is Monday, May 29! Come grab your last runs of the season, celebrate a truly memorable winter, and help us send off Mary Jane in style all 3-day weekend long! ⛷Bonus: Join us on Saturday for a DJ on the Club Car deck, drink specials, and exclusive giveaways. See you for one final weekend on the slopes ‘til next season! 🙌”
Winter Park made the commitment to stay open ALAP (As Late As Possible), and it seems like they’ve done just that.
The resort kicked off the season with their earliest opening in history on October 31st, 2022, and is closing on May 29th. That’s 210 days of skiing and riding this season!!!
Congrats to everybody at Winter Park that made this season happen. I hope all of you are able to get out there one more time for turns in the spring sunshine!
Winter Park will finish the season with 397 inches of snowfall. That’s 115% of their annual average. Not too shabby.
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In response to today’s Government announcement on plans to clamp down on nuisance calls and texts, Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd said:
“Action to make it easier for regulators to punish companies who break the rules cannot come soon enough for the nearly nine in 10 of us who receive nuisance calls and texts.
“More than 81,000 people have already joined our campaign to help end this menace. We also want to see the Government go further, faster by strengthening the law on consent and the use of personal data.”
Consumers can pledge their support for our campaign Calling Time on nuisance calls and texts at: www.which.co.uk/callingtime
Notes to Editors
1. The Which? new online complaints tool will direct consumers to the relevant regulator’s complaint form in a matter of seconds, making it easier to register their frustration with nuisance calls and texts.
2. The Government should go further to make changes to the way consumers’ data is used by introducing:
- An expiry date when a person consents to being contacted by ‘selected third parties.
- An obligation on businesses to be able to prove to the Information Commissioner (ICO) that a person gave consent to being contacted.
- The rules to be extended to include firms selling on personal data, not just those that conduct direct marketing
3. Previous Which? research found more than eight in ten (85%) people received an unsolicited call in one month, of these a staggering one in 10 (8%) people received 50 unwanted calls or more. Six in 10 (62%) people received calls about Payment Protection Insurance and half (48%) from accident claim companies.
4. Populus, on behalf of Which?, interviewed a representative sample of 2,070 UK adults between 19th and 21st April 2013, of these 1,827 had a landline. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all UK adults. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.


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Our Product Manager, Gaspard Coudurier, spoke to WatersTechnology’s Hamad Ali about our newly launched Time-as-a-Service product with Hoptroff London.
WatersTechnology 21/09/2019: Network and hosting provider BSO has announced a partnership with synchronization specialist Hoptroff to offer a platform for timestamping trades to within ten microseconds, an integrated platform it calls “time-as-a-service.”
According to Simon Kenny, CEO at Hoptroff, what makes the service different is having accuracy and traceability delivered on a global footprint.
“While other companies might offer accurate time, and there are several who are doing this, what they don’t do is actually also make the synchronization software that goes onto the servers. They don’t have the system for actually monitoring and recording timing logs.”
Gaspard Coudurier, product manager at BSO, says that in the absence of a service like the one it is offering, an entire infrastructure may have to be built in order to be able to sync with UTC and be able to report this to the regulator.
In many data centers, a global positioning system antenna can be put on the roof, but this would also involve a grandmaster clock to synchronize with the satellite, which would then need to be adjusted continually to ensure there is no lag.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE


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Xiaomi Mi 9 images leak online
Images of the Xiaomi Mi 9, Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship smartphone, have leaked online.
The images show the Mi 9 sporting a waterdrop notch on its front display. On the rear, we see a glossy back panel and triple camera setup. It’s also hinted that the Mi 9 will have an in-display fingerprint sensor.
The Xiaomi Mi 9 is rumored to be powered by Snapdragon 855, feature a 6.4-inch display with a 19:9 aspect ratio, have 6 GB of RAM with 128 GB of storage and that the triple cameras on the rear of the smartphone will be a 48 MP + 12 MP + a ToF camera, while the front camera will be a 24 MP shooter.
The smartphone will likely run on MIUI 10 and possibly be available in two colors, black and blue.
The Xiaomi Mi 9 is rumored to be priced at CNY 2,999 (~PHP 23,161). Official specs, pricing, and availability of the Xiaomi Mi 9 will be announced on February 20, 2019. Stay tuned.


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On March 13, 2020, the U.S. federal government declared a national emergency concerning the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The rapid proliferation of COVID-19 at home and abroad and the subsequent shutdown of entire economic sectors led to unprecedented and simultaneous supply and demand shocks to the global food system and the broader economy. For example, U.S. unemployment rose in 2020, from very low levels not seen since the 1960s to the highest since the Great Depression. The International Monetary Fund revised its projection for the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 downward from a 2.0% annual increase in January to a 4.3% annual decrease in October. The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and responses to it have affected food markets from multiple directions. Short-run impacts include reduced food-away-from-home (FAFH) consumption due to voluntary and mandated mobility restrictions, supply-chain disruptions for some commodities, shortages of some items at grocery stores, higher retail prices, and lower farm-gate prices. Medium-run impacts may include demand loss due to lower economic growth and shifts in consumer demand to food consumed at home not only due to mobility restrictions and consumer concerns over eating out but also due to income effects.
Articles in a previous Choices theme issue—COVID-19 and the Agriculture Industry: Labor, Supply Chains, and Consumer Behavior—focused on agricultural labor markets in the pandemic. As a follow-up, the set of articles in the current issue expands on the impacts of COVID-19 in the food sector by evaluating the main short-term impacts of the epidemic for key food and agricultural markets and discusses potential longer-term implications.
Seth Meyer and Patrick Westhoff provide a big-picture perspective by assessing changes in the outlook for farm income. They report that the pandemic sharply reduced the outlook for crop and livestock cash receipts but that record government payments through traditional government programs as well as new, emergency programs helped to cushion the blow. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a drop in estimated 2020 net farm income of more than $7 billion.
Ashley Hungerford, Anne Effland, and Robert Johansson provide an overview of the major emergency actions taken to address food and agriculture needs during the pandemic. They focus primarily on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), a direct payment program to producers administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, highlighting its uniquely broad scope.
Daniel A. Sumner summarizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. supply and demand situation and outlook for the fruit and vegetables that are typically shipped as fresh produce. A key takeaway is that shipment and price data do not support large differences in market conditions between 2020 and previous years, suggesting that U.S. fruit and vegetable markets adapted reasonably well to pandemic disruptions.
Christopher Wolf, Andrew Novakovic, and Mark Stephenson examine the dairy market disruptions and adjustments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mix of dairy products consumed at home relative to away from home resulted in shortages for some products and disposal of others. Dairy co-operatives instituted supply management programs to encourage cutting milk production. Existing and new government programs blunted the cash-flow impacts to farms and enhanced dairy product demand.
Joseph Balagtas and Joseph Cooper assess the COVID-19 related disruptions to meat and livestock markets in the United States. They provide a data-based description of the COVID-19 impact, including the shut-down of the food service sector, costs associated with packing plants’ efforts to move product across supply chains, and meat-packing plant closings. The disruption to food service combined with plant closings resulted in high meat prices and an increase in the spread between retail meat prices and farm livestock prices. However, packing plant capacity rebounded by summer and retail meat prices returned to within 10% of prepandemic levels.
Shawn Arita, Jason Grant, and Sharon Sydow conduct an early econometric examination of the impacts of COVID-19 on international trade. They find the pandemic reduced global agricultural trade by 4.2% in the second and third quarters of 2020. Agricultural trade was found to be significantly more stable than nonagricultural trade; however, the level of disruption varies substantially across commodities.
Jayson Lusk and Brandon McFadden examine consumer food buying during recessions by exploring data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, shedding light on how consumer food spending patterns vary with income. They then look back to the Great Recession and review findings that illustrate how food buying changed during that historic economic downturn and its effects on food insecurity. Finally, they discuss how consumer food purchasing behavior under COVID-19 may differ from past recessions.


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In a major change in procurement practices, the General Services Administration soon will begin requiring agency managers to base most of their purchasing decisions almost entirely on the price of a product.
The new policy is designed to make it easy for officials to buy the cheapest models and harder to buy the more expensive ones.
The changes, which will be put in place over the next 18 months, will affect the way the GSA runs the so-called multiple award schedule--a system that allows procurement officers to choose from about 3 million items in 100 catalogs.
Of the $12 billion worth of paper, pencils, typewriters and other products that all federal agencies have to buy each year, about $3.8 billion worth is purchased through the multiple award system, according to the GSA.
Under the system, suppliers agree to sell products to the government at a price that generally is at least equal to their best retail price.
Under the new system, the GSA will classify most products according to their price.
The cheapest products will be listed on green pages in the catalogs and will be the easiest to obtain.
More expensive products listed on yellow pages must be approved by the head of the agency's contracting office before they can be purchased.
Items listed on red pages will be the most expensive and will require the approval of an official who supervises the contracting office. Many of these products have special features.
To test the program, the GSA converted the catalog for calculating devices, which includes 87 types of adding and calculating machines, 16 timing devices, nine cash registers and three "postage stamp applying machines."
Only some of the products were divided into the color codes.
For instance, eight brands of 10-digit calculators were listed on green pages, along with nine 12-digit models and two 14-digit models.
Another 32 models were placed in the yellow category and 66 models in the red group.
Some suppliers are concerned, however, that products will be judged only on the basis of price, while differences involving quality, delivery time and warranties will be ignored.
Roger Daniero, deputy assistant administrator of the GSA's Office of Federal Supply and Services, acknowledged that price will be the only factor used by the GSA but agency officials will still be charged with determining "what quality they want in the products they buy . . .and then justifying it."
"Federal taxpayers will end up saving millions of dollars because we'll have increased competition among the suppliers" to get on the green band, Daniero said.
Industry representatives like the new system better than the GSA's plan last year to abolish the lists and negotiate contracts with the firm that had the lowest competitive bid for a product.
But many of the suppliers are still skeptical.
Kenton Pattie, senior staff vice president of the International Communications Industries Association, said GSA Administrator Gerald P. Carmen "has had some very bad advice in this field . . . .
"Do we really want the government to buy the cheapest thing and not the best thing to do the job? From the government's standpoint, it will be harder and harder to find companies willing to compete to offer products with the better features if they have to fear being relegated to the yellow or red bands," Pattie said.
Jack Perlow, vice president of government marketing for Docutel Olivetti Corp., a manufacturer of word-processing equipment, said:
"The system will work very nicely with something like calculators, but not with copying machines because there are no two contracts alike."
Richard T. O'Neill, manager of government marketing for Sharp Copier Products, agreed.
O'Neill added: "If the government could define the quality issue while including the features of the product that it is getting, it'll be okay. If not, the government will end up with junk."
Herman Director, chief economist for the National Small Business Association, also contended that the plan will favor larger firms that can meet the federal government's nationwide distribution needs.
Carmen has said that he hopes the new schedules will favor businesses with the resources to provide the federal government with the best prices.
Small businesses, he said, usually can't do that except on a regional basis.


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Vetafarm has launched Parrot B-Calm, a complete parrot diet formulated by avian veterinarians, that provides balanced nutrition and supports the reduction of stress and anxiety with natural ingredients.
Dr Tony Gestier, Avian Veterinarian and Director of Vetafarm, said that Parrot B-Calm is the world’s first complete parrot calming diet.
“While there are pet bird calming supplements on the market, Parrot B-Calm pellets are the only complete diet that has calming effects and provides the rest of their nutrition as well,” he said.
Made with the amino acid L-Tryptophan – a natural precursor for the synthesis of serotonin in the brain – the non-drowsy and non-sedative action is balanced with fresh Australian whole grains, vitamins, minerals, and turmeric to support your bird’s health and wellbeing.
Pet birds become stressed for a range of reasons and show signs of their stress and anxiety in sometimes life-threatening ways.
Symptoms of stress in birds include excessive screaming/vocalisation, over-preening/cleaning or plucking feathers, walking around the cage incessantly, doing somersaults (head flips), flattening their feathers and trembling, or other behaviours that are out of the ordinary.
Moulting, mating, over handling and changes to environment or routine, such as a new baby or pet, can also cause stress in parrots. Plus, a poor diet, lack of exercise or even interrupted or insufficient sleep can trigger stress.
Vetafarm’s resident parrot trainer Carmen McGill has been working with birds for more than 30 years and rescue parrot Miranda was the worst rehabilitation case she had ever seen. The beautiful Macaw had been severely traumatised by a bigger and stronger male bird, did not trust anyone, and could not fly.
McGill spent three years rehabilitating Miranda, which took a lot of patience, love, tears, and determination. And halfway through Miranda’s rehabilitation, McGill began trialling Parrot B-Calm.
“Within a week I could clearly see a difference,” she said. “Parrot B-Calm took the edge off – it wasn’t making her sleepy, just more relaxed.
“Of course, behavioural training is still required as Parrot B-Calm is not a ‘fix all’ but an aid for birds who are stressed and anxious,” she added.
Parrot B-Calm is available in major pet retail stores now.


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BANGKOK, July 11 (Bernama) -- Asean is promoting six experiential and creative travel themes to encourage multi-country trips in the region.
In a statement today, chairman of the Asean Tourism Product Development Working Group, Aung Zaw Win, said the trips aimed to respect environment and culture.
Zaw Win, who is also director-general of Myanmar's Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, said an authentic travel experience involved meaningful engagement with the heritage, arts and special characters of the Asean destinations.
"Experiential marketing programmes allow consumers to become active participants in a marketing effort," he said.
He urged Asean tour operators to develop more multi-country packages highlighting experiential and creative tourism, which was a rising trend among consumers who wanted 'authentic' travel.
"Today's travellers are more sophisticated and interested in unique experiences with immersion in local ways of life," he said.
The statement said the themed promotions were part of the implementation of the Asean Tourism Marketing Strategy 2012-2015.
The themes included -- The Tastes of South-East Asia; Asean, a Tropical Paradise; World Class Cities; Experience Diverse Traditions; Sport and Relaxation; and, Diverse Contemporary Creativity.
An initial list of 20 tour operators offering the themes in multi-country itineraries were now on the new Asean Tourism website, www.aseantourism.travel.
To inspire travellers, Asean has compiled a series of features about themes such as beach, nature and wildlife; cruise tour and rail; culture and heritage; education and volunteering; food and nightlife; fun and leisure; health and spa; outdoor and water sports; and, pilgrimage tourism.
All are available on www.aseantourism.travel.
Tour operators who would like to submit multi-country experiential programmes for possible inclusion on the Asean travel website should email their offerings to firstname.lastname@example.org. -- BERNAMA


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Hello TWIF UK & Europe friends,
Please find another week of fintech news, financings and exits below.
Editor’s Note: If you’re an early-stage startup founder raising equity or debt, I may be able to help - reach out to email@example.com.
Tweet of the week 🦉🏆
There were 12 deals in the fintech space across the UK and Europe since the last post, with a total investment of $128m. Some highlights are below.
🇪🇺 N26 is rumoured to have raised €700m at an €8bn valuation from Third Point, Coatue and Dragoneer.
🇪🇺 Juni raised a $52m Series A extension led by EQT Ventures and included FJ Labs, DST Global, Felix Capital and Cherry Ventures.
🇪🇺 Grunfin raised €2m led by Norrsken VC and included angel investors.
🇬🇧 Elliptic raised a €51.8m Series C from Softbank, Octopus Ventures, SignalFire and Paladin Capital.
🇬🇧 Global Processing Services (GPS) raised $300m for an LBO from Advent International and Viking Global.
🇬🇧 9fin raised a £8m Series A led by Redalpine Ventures.
🇬🇧 Plum raised $14m in a yet to be closed Series A from dmg Ventures, Ventura Capital, 500 Startups and some angels.
Challenger Banking 🚀
🇪🇺 Lunar has acquired payment gateway Paylike.
🇬🇧 Goodlord has acquired acasa, a tenant fintech platform.
🇬🇧 Pleo is adding a free to further accelerate its growth.
🇬🇧 Monzo is making it easier for its business customers to get paid through a quick request payment link or invoice. It is also partnering with Freetrade to give its paying subscribers three free shares. Freetrade hit the 1m customer mark this past week.
🇬🇧 MVNO To The Moon has added a debit card to its product offering alongside its sim-only product.
🇬🇧 Equifax research found 55% of UK credit providers will integrate Open Banking in their underwriting to increased accuracy, fairness and speed.
🇬🇧 Starling reported little demand for the new £100 contactless limit that customers can set.
🇬🇧 Credit Kudos is launching Signal, an open banking powered credit score for lenders.
Digital Assets ₿
🇬🇧 Ex-Chancellor Philip Hammond has become an advisor to Copper, the crypto custody platform.
🇬🇧 Blockchain payment platform Ivno has been snapped up by New York’s R3.
🇬🇧 Digital Pound Foundation has launched with backing from Accenture, CGI Group and Ripple to advocate for a UK CBDC. The BoE is also looking into the risks of DeFi as deputy governor warned crypto could spark a global financial crisis.
🌍 Two of Facebook’s crypto engineers who co-created its Novi digital wallet have left to join a16z.
🌍 Stripe is hiring a team of 4 crypto engineers to work on crypto payments.
🌍 Coinbase is launching an NFT marketplace.
🌍 MakerDAO is considering incorporating and paying taxes.
🌍 Polkadot announced its parachain auctions and its DOT token surged above $42.
🌍 Tether was fined $42m on false claims USDT was fully backed by fiat.
🌍 A bitcoin futures ETF is finally set to launch.
Traditional Banking 🏦
🇪🇺 Societe Generale is merging with its Credit du Nord unit to create a new retail bank in France.
🇬🇧 A report by Lloyds Bank shows UK financial institutions are targeting fintechs for acquisitions and partnerships to better position themselves post-pandemic.
🇬🇧 Seven banks from the UK and US participated in a POC with Swift, EBA and TCH on real-time cross-border payment messaging initiative called Immediate Cross-Border Payments (IXB).
🇬🇧 Standard Chartered is making its supplier finance program easier to access with a new platform created with Demica. It is also looking to generate 50% of income from digital.
🇬🇧 Barclays has opened a technology hub in Glasgow.
🇬🇧 NatWest is committing £100bn to climate and sustainable funding and financing.
🇬🇧 Nationwide is taking a van and touring the UK to help people switch to digital banking.
🌍 JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said on a call that bitcoin is “worthless”.
Fintech Infrastructure 🚧
🇬🇧 Open finance platform mmob has added PensionBee, Upside and Glint Pay to its platform to become a “superapp-as-a-Service”.
🇬🇧 Railsbank is moving to a new global HQ in Broadgate.
🇪🇺 UniCredit and JP Morgan are utilising Swift Go for payments between EU and US.
🇪🇺 Berlin based Billie is focusing on BNPL (who isn’t these days) and is teaming up with Klarna to offer its merchants the ability to integrate payments from Billie.
🇪🇺 A Klarna browser extension has been launched, enabling pay-in-4 for any online purchase. h/t to Jason Mikula.
🇪🇺 Nexpay partnered with Ondato to for its compliance infrastructure.
🇬🇧 Fintech venteral Anthony Thomson (founder or Metro Bank and Atom Bank) is the new chair of Zip UK.
🇬🇧 SumUp has launched in the US through the acquisition of Fivestars.
Regulatory Corner 🔎
🇬🇧 Trouble at the FCA with staff in uproar over planned pay cuts under Nikhil Rathi’s transformation plans.
Longer reads 📜
- UK Open Banking is at a crossroads - AltFi
- The “Sailing Ship Effect” in Financial Services - David Birch
- Tax admin and risk trap for platforms - Kevin Sefton (h/t to Paul Loberman)
- What if Central Banks issued a digital currency? - Ajay Mookerjee, HBR
- Open Source is finally coming to financial services - a16z
- Anyone seen Tether’s billions? - Zeke Faux
- Layer 1 vs Layer 2 - Petro Wallace
- How to win the Future - a16z
- Why do businesses need crypto? - Fintech Across The Pond
Want to be a This Week in Fintech - UK & Europe sponsor? Reach out to me at firstname.lastname@example.org or find me on Twitter.
Your feedback is a gift, please give below 🙏
Good || Bad || Needs Improving
See you next week!


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While the current three weeks of solitude in South Africa will undoubtedly change the face of business as we know it, it’s not all negative. Facebook posts from those who’ve been in quarantine for the past eight+ weeks say: “I never knew we could hear birdsong in Wuhan.” Human desertion has also lead to such improvement of air and water quality that swans and dolphins are returning to Venice’s canals, and Italians are holding nightly serenades from the safety of their balconies to keep spirits high.
Now, as working from home becomes the new norm in South Africa, cheeps and tail wags from cheerful pets are also popping into global conference calls, giving ‘beyond the 9-to-5’ personality to our fellow employees and, frankly, making them more human and relatable.
For example, did you know that Sir Isaac Newton is said to have discovered his theories on optics, calculus and gravity while working from home? The BBC confirms that many of his best ideas came from his work while Cambridge University was closed due to the Bubonic Plague. So, there’s hope that brand innovation will bloom as we finetune ideas in isolation, ready to return to the working world.
Of course, brands are also stepping into the fray. Some have entered panic-mode of their own, with empty shelves as a result of consumers’ bulk-buy panic, but others have heeded the call to future-proof their marketing strategy by thinking long-term. As restaurants are effectively shuttered until lockdown lifts, some are offering vouchers to redeem once the crisis clouds have settled, and focusing on maintaining a digital presence, at the very least.
Because digital is where it’s all happening. To dive deeper into the impact on SA consumers, we’ve put together a snapshot of South Africa-specific attitudes from Kantar’s first Covid-19 Barometer study across 30+ markets* globally.
Our first wave of device-agnostic research took place from 14 to 16 March 2020 – the weekend of President Ramaphosa’s ‘state of disaster’ address – reveals that three-quarters of connected South Africans are concerned about the impact of Covid-19, with 58% already seeing their day-to-day life impacted before lockdown kicked in.
Speaking of impact, 62% of respondents predict a long-term economic impact, with 66% expressing a need to be more proactive in their own personal financial planning. But when it comes to brand expectations, only 2% of SA respondents felt advertising should stop – instead, brands must be more tone-sensitive to ensure their messaging offers security in these testing times.
With an 80% response agreement in the study for marketing to not exploit consumers, the call is for all brand messaging to be more authentic, reassuring and practical in our communications rather than merely punting products.
Pick n Pay has already excelled in this regard with their catchy ‘friends don’t let friends panic buy’ initiative, looping in SA musos via WhatsApp call.
Nando’s has also tapped into the neighbourly camaraderie required to successfully navigate these #alonetogether times, stating: “If there’s one thing this country knows, it’s how to come together… even if we have to stay apart,” sharing a video of how they’re turning off their flames for the first time since lighting them in 1987, as it’s how brands behave today that will lead their future legacy.
We love how @NandosSA has tapped into the neighbourly camaraderie required to successfully navigate these #alonetogether times, stating: “If there’s one thing this country knows, it’s how to come together… even if we have to stay apart.” ���� More in the vid below ��⬇ #LockdownSA pic.twitter.com/b5Fgfyqt2K— Kantar_AME (@Kantar_AME) March 27, 2020
This particular pandemic has already started changing media and social connection habits like never before. Digital and broadcast media consumption is on the rise due to self-isolation, and with hugs and handshakes a thing of the past, for now, consumers are increasing their personal connection via social networks, with a 43% spike in Facebook and 45% on WhatsApp respectively.
Yet despite this increased use, only one in four respondents trusts social media as an information source, rather seeing it as a platform for collaboration and comfort.
Drilling down to SA Twitter behaviour, we’ve seen about 100,000 Covid-19 coronavirus-related tweets a day in the past week, with 1.69-million related posts since 1 Jan 2020.
A whopping 1.59-million of those were composed in the last month, from 25 February 2020 to date, and the vast majority of conversations have been about the social and health aspect of the pandemic. Unlike other ‘trending’ topics, which are dominated by certain groups, this is the most widespread level of engagement across the Twittersphere we have seen.
Taking heed of changing consumer behaviour, especially in light of the new lockdown restrictions, retailers need to note that local consumers are embracing new channels, both in shoppers online more often and already practicing social distancing as a new behaviour.
We see 48% of respondents claiming they already avoid big malls and superstores entirely, and 73% preferring to shop near home, fitting for current lockdown conditions. *connected consumers
In these uncertain and changing times, brands would do well to optimise their customer experience, as responses also show that 63% are sticking to the usual brands they already know and love, and 66% prefer electronic over cash payment methods, as it means you can skip that unnecessary trip to the bank when you need to stock up on essentials.
All of this proves that experience is still king, but as experiences that require physical interaction won’t be an option for brands and marketers in the foreseeable future, instead take this time to polish experiences so that they delight customers, with a focus on AI to simplify tasks and satisfy demand to avoid service bottlenecks. Proactivity will promote brand loyalty and preference for the future, because while there’s uncertainty as to when the true impact of the pandemic will subside, there’s always space for growth in crisis.
But don’t look for growth where the rules pertaining to your category are especially stringent. For example, with alcohol sales banned for the duration of the #SAlockdown, take the following advice from Robert Klara, senior editor for brands at AdWeek, to heart: “You may have marketing plans in the can ready to go – you’ll have to rethink that... You can’t show a picnic or a large party or large crowds cheering. That’s sending the wrong message.”
On Marketing Week, Mini MBAs in marketing and brand management professor Mark Ritson says that as the coronavirus crisis will test us all, marketers need to think long-term: “This virus, too, shall pass. At some point consumers will return to the streets, the cafes and the various other activities that they have been denied during the dark days ahead. Keep the brand light burning, because the cost of snuffing it out for the rest of 2020 and then trying to reignite it next year is gigantic.”
After all, PR Daily reveals that clamming up and not offering transparent communication is the top mistake brands make in a crisis. So, get your digital ducks in a row and get your message out there, to reassure clients that you’re still open for business – you’re just changing the method to meet the madness the times dictate.
Want to find out more? Catch up on our SA-specific webinar on how to navigate growth in a Covid-19 world, based on our first-wave Barometer study in SA (you’ll need to register to watch on demand). Also stock up on updates and insights to help your brand manage the effects of Covid-19 and prepare for the future on our Covid-19 page. Follow us on Kantar LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up to date with our comms, and stay safe!
*While the first wave of Kantar’s Covid-19 Barometer study was conducted across 30+ markets globally at the time of writing, new markets are continually being added and over 50 markets are currently included.


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Over the past two weeks, a series of billboards has gone up in Brooklyn neighborhoods promoting an unusual fashion message: Guys, pull up your sagging pants. The advertisements are the work of New York State Sen. Eric Adams, who has launched a campaign to encourage young urban males to stop wearing their jeans and trousers so low that it shows off their underwear — an erstwhile streetwear trend that started amongst hip-hop fans in the Nineties and long ago expanded into the skater and suburban demographics.
The six billboards that have gone up in Brooklyn show two men in saggy jeans — their boxer shorts prominently on display — and the tag lines: “We are better than this!,” “Stop the Sag!” and “Raise your pants, raise your image!”
“I see things on the hanger and I’m, like, ‘I never knew that color worked on me.’ It’s things you necessarily wouldn’t choose to wear, but once you put them on, you see why Janie is who Janie is." — Lily Collins on working with former "Mad Men" costume designer, Janie Bryant on creating looks for her role as Celia Brady's in Amazon series, "The Last Tycoon." 📸@jilliansollazzo #wwdeye
EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Rutson has been tapped to Build New American Fashion Group. The parent of Joie, Equipment and Current/Elliott hired the merchant to rev up its brands and expand its portfolio into designer, beauty and lifestyle categories. Read more on WWD.com, link in bio. #wwdfashion
Michael Kors' $1.3B Jimmy Choo deal has the company squaring off with Coach Inc. as both seek to build American powerhouses. Coach bought Stuart Weitzman in 2015 and Kate Spade just two weeks ago, but Michael Kors' acquisition may be putting pressure on its rival in the new push for scale. #wwdnews (📷: George Chinsee)
Meet actress Lucy Boynton, who plays opposite Naomi Watts in the recently released Netflix series "Gypsy." Boynton stopped by WWD to talk about her upcoming projects and her nomadic lifestyle. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)


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CAIRO — The Egyptian government has begun taking measures to monitor the commercial activity of Syrians in Egypt out of fear that some businesses are being used to fund the Muslim Brotherhood. The measures include not approving any commercial activity for Syrian nationals except with permission from the security authorities, as well as monitoring Syrian account activities and financial transactions in Egyptian banks.
The Ministry of Local Development had sent out a memorandum — a copy of which was obtained by Al-Monitor — to governorates Aug. 11 asking them to assess shops owned by members of the Syrian refugee community in Egypt. “Some people have opened a series of stores within short periods despite suffering from poor financial resources when they first came to Egypt," the memo read. It also said Syrians had bought "commercial stores in important locations using large amounts of unknown sources.”


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Srinagar: When Abdul Aziz Ganie decided to revive almond cultivation in Chandara, Pampore, he faced immense criticism from people.
The reason was that the village known for producing quality almonds was switching to apple production.
Undeterred, Ganie decided to plant almond trees on his two kanals of land, hoping to earn good money in the future. Ganie chose a new plant variety that was less prone to diseases and required low maintenance.
“I was being criticized because people considered it a suicidal move to prefer almonds over apples. People were relying on local variety which was prone to disease and was not market worthy,” he said.
Ganie tried the latest variety of almond saplings from the ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), Srinagar.
“When I narrated my plan to the officials at CITH, they were very happy that I was taking this step to revive the almond plantation. They gave me Bulgarian almond plants, which has a huge demand in the international market. I planted 50 saplings in two kanals of orchard land in my village,” he said.
For the last six years, Ganie has been harvesting dry fruit, which has given him good returns.
“The results are encouraging as I get good money for my crop. The plants are still in the initial stage and it will give me more returns in coming years,” he said.
Ganie said the new almond variety has a good demand in local as well as national markets.
“Bulgarian almonds are very rich in every respect. In the local dialect, the almonds are Kagzi (easy to break) and have good oil content and taste. I got good reviews from the dealers who buy my almonds,” he said.
Ganie is now planning to plant the saplings in three more kanals of land in his village. “Next year, I will plant almond saplings in three more kanals. My motive is to revive this crop as its production has declined in Kashmir due to the invasion by non-native apple varieties,” he said.
Ganie has set an example in the area and more farmers are also following in his footsteps.
“Other farmers also prefer almond cultivation. Though on a small scale, they also are willing to plant this quality breed of almond in their orchards,” he said.
Almond, which was widely grown in Kashmir is currently losing battle to apple. The area under almond cultivation has declined by nearly 70 percent in the last 10 years.
Data accessed by The Kashmir Monitor reveal that the area under cultivation has declined from 16,418 hectares in 2011 to a mere 5483 hectares in 2021.
In scores of the villages of Pulwama, which is the largest producer of almonds, people have completely shifted to apple farming.
In villages Koil, Payar, Chandigam, Lajoora, Pahnard, Pachnargd, and Thokernag, hundreds of acres of land have been lost to either apple or some other crop.
As per figures, 115.05 metric tonnes of almonds were imported to India in 2019 compared to 34.36 metric tonnes in 2008.
In addition to the decline in almond production, heavy import of California almonds has hit its Kashmiri cousins.
The situation is such that Californian almonds are in huge demand among the people even in Kashmir..


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Shahab Rashid was named managing partner and co-head of private credit at private equity manager L Catterton.
It is a new position, a spokeswoman said. Mr. Rashid will lead the establishment of L Catterton's new middle-market direct lending strategy for its new private credit platform. The timeline of the strategy's launch has yet to be announced, the spokeswoman said.
Mr. Rashid reports to J. Michael Chu and Scott A. Dahnke, global co-CEOs.
The spokeswoman said an announcement regarding the other co-head of private credit is pending.
Mr. Rashid was previously partner and co-founder of the private credit group at Adams Street Partners. A spokesman for Adams Street Partners could not be immediately reached for further information.
L Catterton has more than $33 billion in assets under management.